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No matter what type of business you have or are starting, a DBA name is an important consideration for any owner. From sole proprietors to corporations, this guide can help you understand, obtain, and maintain a great DBA name for your Tennessee-based business.
The following is a guide on what you need to know about registering and maintaining a Tennessee DBA name.
DBA means “doing business as.” It’s a way for a business to operate under a different name. In Tennessee, “assumed name” is another term often used. You may also see “trade name” or “fictitious name” used sometimes, but they all mean the same thing in Tennessee.
It’s important to note that a DBA name is just a legal way to use a different name; it doesn’t create a separate business entity. Think of DBA names as aliases, useful for marketing but not for legal or tax purposes.
While a DBA name can be useful for any kind of business, different entities may choose to file for different reasons.
Below are the general categories of businesses filing for a DBA name:
Even the smallest of businesses can benefit from having a DBA name under which to operate. Below is a list of the biggest pluses that come from choosing a new name for your business.
Are you ready to register your own DBA name? Keep reading to learn how to obtain and maintain a DBA name in Tennessee.
Choosing a DBA name is an important decision. You want to make sure your name represents your business well. “Carl’s Crazy Kitchen Creations” has a different feel from “Boutique Baking,” for example. A strong name that conveys not only the nature of your business but also it’s aesthetic is an important branding concern. The right name makes all future marketing that much easier.
Once you have a name — or a few names — in mind, the next step is to use the Tennessee Secretary of State’s name search tool. This will show you which name or names are available. Also, take note of which names may be very close to the one you’re considering. You don’t want to run the risk of getting a new name just to have your business too easily confused with another. In general, your DBA name needs to be distinguishable from the names of existing businesses registered or reserved with the state.
The final element to choosing your new DBA name is making sure it adheres to Tennessee’s naming restrictions. Your name must NOT include terms that:
A last note on naming: Take some time to consider trademarking, and use the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS) to see if your name is available there. Federal trademarking reserves your name outside of Tennessee should you end up operating outside of your home state and can also help protect your logo and other brand-related elements. You can also search using the Tennessee Secretary of State website for state-level trademarks.
Registering a DBA name in Tennessee is a fairly straightforward process, regardless of what type of business entity you have. While some states’ compliance requirements make owners publish notice of their name change in local newspapers for a set number of weeks, Tennessee involves a form, a filing fee, and waiting for approval.
Below are the steps to register your Tennessee DBA name, broken down by type of business.
Division of Business Services
312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue, Snodgrass Tower, 6th Floor
Nashville, TN 37243
In Tennessee, renewing, renaming, or canceling a DBA name in Tennessee is pretty straightforward.
For sole proprietors and partnerships, the business license — with which you registered your DBA name — renews automatically with every tax return. Changing a DBA name means filing for a new one. Cancel or withdraw a business license (thus closing your DBA name) via a final tax return with the state.
Corporations and other incorporated businesses must renew their DBA names every five years, either online or by mail. Changing or canceling your name can also be done through the Tennessee Secretary of State website. Each of these actions costs $20.
Registering a DBA name varies by county, but it is usually $20. The fee at the state level is also $20, although filing online may incur an additional cost.
Processing times vary, but you can generally expect to have your DBA name approved and registered in one to four weeks.
A DBA name is only a legal requirement if you want to do business under a new name. DBA names are useful marketing tools and worth considering.
Yes, filing for a DBA name in Tennessee does not give you exclusive rights to that name. However, DBA names must be distinguishable from one another.
Yes, you can register as many as you want. For example, a professional photographer may want to create unique brands around their wedding and sports photography services. Just remember that each DBA name must be registered and maintained on its own.
Yes, although Tennessee refers to DBA names as “assumed names” on its forms.
No, a DBA name is only required when doing business under a name not your own. However, it may be to your benefit to consider registering a DBA name to give you privacy and add professionalism to your business.
No. A DBA name is merely an alias under which you market your business. It doesn’t affect how your business is taxed at any level.
Are you ready to move forward with business formation in Tennessee? ZenBusiness can help! Our business experts take the headache out of all the formation and compliance aspects of ownership. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you start and grow your Tennessee business today.
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